Volume 99 | Number 2 | March-April 2011

A review of The Mirage of a Space Between Nature and Nurture, by Evelyn Fox Keller. This slim volume may be just the thing for scientists and students struggling to conceptualize the nature-nurture problem, says McShea

A review of What Technology Wants, by Kevin Kelly. Is all of technology, taken collectively, the equivalent of an evolving seventh kingdom of life, as Kelly maintains? Is its trajectory one of inevitable progress?

A review of The Evolution of the Human Head, by Daniel E. Lieberman. This book is most impressive, says Shea, for masterfully incorporating all sorts of interesting research on the soft tissues that are associated with cranial features and discussing them within the context of evolutionary morphology and the fossil record of the human skull

A review of Judging Edward Teller: A Closer Look at One of the Most Influential Scientists of the Twentieth Century, by Istvan Hargittai. Hargittai focuses on Teller’s three exiles: from Hungary at age 18, from Germany when the Nazis came to power, and from the physics community when he was ostracized by many after he gave damaging testimony at Oppenheimer’s security hearing

A review of Eaarth: Making a Life on a Tough New Planet, by Bill McKibben. The planet we knew and loved as Earth is gone, says McKibben. Welcome to Eaarth, a place so imperiled that both commitment and luck will be required if we’re to sustain any kind of civilization

A review of How Old is the Universe?, byDavid A. Weintraub. Weintraub explains in considerable detail how astronomers and physicists arrived at the conclusion that our universe can be traced back in time to an explosive event that took place 13.7 billion years ago

A review of Darwin’s Pictures: Views of Evolutionary Theory, 1837–1874, by Julia Voss. Voss, who considers the visual representations in Darwin’s works in the context of other images, has produced a book that is rich in insight into Darwin’s achievement, says Richards

A review of Origins: How the Nine Months Before Birth Shape the Rest of Our Lives, by Annie Murphy Paul. Paul, a science writer, provides an accessible review of the research on fetal origins of adult disease, combining it with the story of her own pregnancy

A review of The Music Instinct: How Music Works and Why We Can’t Do Without It, by Philip Ball. Writing vividly, Ball provides a feast of information on a variety of topics, says Pesic, with particular attention to contemporary neurological and psychophysiological approaches to music